At least 38 people have died, four people are said to be in a serious condition and another 47 remain missing, the public broadcaster NHK reported.

Video from Okayama showed brown water engulfing residential areas with some people fleeing to rooftops and balconies, trying to catch the attention of hovering rescue helicopters.

Officials from the city said a man caught in a landslide had died and six others were missing. In a statement they said 360,000 people had been told to evacuate the area.

NHK said water had risen as high as 4.9m (16ft) in the worst-hit areas where cars were seen left in pools of water.

According to the Kyodo news agency, one person died in a landslide in Hiroshima, which had set off a fire. It also reported the body of a child was found nearby.

Another woman reportedly died in her home in Hiroshima after it was buried in a mudslide.

A woman in the Ehime prefecture was found dead on the second floor of a property hit by a landslide, according to news agency reports. And two young girls and their mother died after they were sucked into a mudslide in the same region.

Officials in Kyoto said they were working to control flooding at several dams and confirmed the death of a 52-year-old woman.

Meanwhile in Okayama, military water trucks rushed to areas where water systems were down, and soldiers continued to help stranded people and pets using small military boats.

More than 4.7 million people were sent evacuation orders and 48,000 military, police and fire brigade officers are continuing to help in search missions around the country.